How to Clean Polished Brass Bathroom Faucets?
Believe it or not, but brass brings burnished, timeless, and warmth to your household items. From furniture to kitchen utensils and bathroom faucets, this corrosion-resistant metal adds a charming touch to everything.
Brass is comparatively an inexpensive material made of copper and zinc. Due to its bright gold color and appealing texture, brass has been one of the favorite materials of every woman today.
However, just like any metal object, brass fixtures can also turn dull and tarnished. Their glow and charm fade with time when you don’t take good care of brass fixtures. Especially when it comes to bathroom faucets made of brass that is probably the most used fixture in your house, you have to consider a lot of things for its cleaning and polishing. No, you don’t have to get professional help for its cleaning as our professionals at KibiUSA presents a complete guide to clean polished brass bathroom faucets.
So, with just a little bit of knowledge and following important practices, you can learn how to clean polished brass bathroom faucets and avoid things that can make them look dull. And do you know what’s the best part? Most of the brass cleaning products are already available in your kitchen. Surprised? Well, don’t be.
Have a look below at this guide and figure out the methods to clean polished brass bathroom faucets.
Things to Do Before Cleaning Polished Brass Bathroom Faucet:
The first and foremost thing before cleaning a polished brass bathroom faucet is to check it is made of solid brass or brass plated.
It’s easy to do. Simply grab a magnet and check if it sticks to the faucet. If it does, then it means the faucet is brass plated because magnets never stick to the solid brass. Make sure you don’t rub the magnets too aggressively, as it can damage the plating.
Whether it’s plated or not, you should also not use some abrasive scrubbing cloths or metal-bristled brushes for cleaning polished brass faucets.
Cleaning Polished Brass Bathroom Faucets:
There are lots of ways to clean your polished brass bathroom faucet. Now the approach that you want to follow is, checking the level of dirt and dust on its surface and checking the amount of tarnish build-up. Here we have mentioned some important things to clean the faucet carefully with no harmful ingredients.
-
Clean with hot soapy water:
Start the cleaning process with hot and soapy water and also use a soft microfiber cloth for perfect cleaning. Clean the surface of the bathroom faucet thoroughly with the microfiber cloth. You can also use a toothbrush with soft bristles for cleaning some small portions of the faucet. After that rinse the faucet with water and dry it thoroughly.
-
Use a paper towel and white vinegar:
In the second step, it’s time to soak a paper towel in vinegar. After that, you need to tuck it around the handles of your faucet or just make sure you wrap it carefully around the showerhead where can you find hard water stains. Now you need to plug the drain as well as pour one and a half cups of vinegar into the sink. It will successfully remove all the water deposits from the drain. Remember, you need to allow the vinegar to soak for more than 1 hour.
-
Remove the paper towels:
After that, you need to remove the paper towels. Lift the plug of the drain before you scrub away all the hard water deposits using a toothbrush. Now you can clean all the vinegar traces by using hot water.
-
Rub the salted lemon over a brass surface:
In the next step, you need to use the seeds of a half-cut lemon and then add table salt over the seeds. After that, rub that salted lemon on the surface of the brass faucet while focusing on all the remaining stains. You can reapply salt as you need. Make sure you wear rubber gloves before doing the job. Also, buff the surface of the brass using a clean and soft cloth.
-
Use Linseed or Mineral Oil:
You need to apply linseed or mineral oil over the already cleaned surface of the brass faucet using a soft cloth so you can avoid any kind of tarnishing.
-
Use different ingredients for tougher cleaning jobs:
For tougher cleaning, you can consider using other ingredients as well. For example, using tomato sauce, tomato paste, or ketchup is also a good idea. All you need to do is, rub a thin coat on the polished brass faucet and let it sit for one hour. After that, you need to clean it with warm soapy water.
-
Make a Paste:
Another good idea is to make a soft paste of salt, wheat, and flour. Now apply this paste to the brass faucet and wait for one hour or so. In the end, rinse with hot water and dry with a soft cloth.
-
Commercial Metal Cleaners:
Using commercial metal cleaners and different high-quality polishes are also quite effective in cleaning your brass faucet. You can buy these cleaners and polishers from a good retailer or supermarkets but make sure the products are authentic, guaranteed, and tested.
Mistakes to Avoid While Cleaning Brass Faucet:
There are lots of issues and concerns that you might feel when it comes to cleaning your brass faucet. But the important need is, you have to follow some preventive measures beforehand so you cannot experience any problems later. Here we have highlighted some mistakes to avoid that most people make while cleaning polished brass faucets.
- Never use any kind of harmful or abrasive scrubbing cloths. Also, avoid using metal-bristled brushes as well as steel wool. Because these things can badly damage the surface of the brass faucet.
- If you want to prevent tarnishing for a long time, it’s recommended to consider applying a coating of linseed oil as it’s very helpful in cleaning brass faucets. After that rub it with a soft terry towel.
- Most brass fixtures like faucets are usually protected with a lacquer finish. That’s the reason, it’s better to clean them with warm and soapy water. If there are a few portions of the faucet are tarnished, then you can remove the lacquer by using a varnish remover. After that, clean the polished brass by using one of the above methods. And then re-lacquer the portion of the faucet.
- It’s better to not touch the polished brass more frequently. The more you touch, the more it will get tarnished with time.
How to Clean the Brass Plate of Polished Brass Faucet?
Cleaning the entire brass-plated surface is also an important requirement. Here we have mentioned some important steps to consider for thorough cleaning of brass plate.
Step 1:
Wash the plate with a mild detergent added in hot water.
After that, make sure you are wearing plastic gloves so you can prevent your fingerprints while rubbing the surface with a soft cloth. Now you need to rinse it perfectly with warm water, and then dry it with a clean and soft cloth.
Step 2
Now you need to use any mild commercial polish which is specifically designed for use on brass plates. The high-quality polish can simply remove all hard stains and heavy tarnish. However, it’s better to test its small amount on an inconspicuous area before you use it over a soft cloth and then to the brass polished bathroom faucet.
Step 3
In the last step, wipe down your cleaned and polished faucet with hot water so you can simply clear all the stains of cleaner or polish. If you want to make it shine for longer, then buff the surface as well.
Preserve the Look of Your Polished Brass Faucet:
We hope that using the above cleaning techniques, you can easily do the job and clean the polished brass faucet efficiently. The best part is, you don’t need any professional help. all the materials are already available in your kitchen, and the steps are also easy to follow by a simple person. If you don’t want to deep clean the faucet every month, then it’s recommended to at least clean it with a soft cloth, warm water, and the above-mentioned ingredients. They will keep their look fresh, clean, and shiny.
Our final advice is, avoid using abrasive chemicals, harsh substances, scouring pads, and any kind of harmful material. These kinds of chemicals and substances are extremely dangerous, and they can badly damage the finish of your brass faucet.
Though the above ingredients like tomato and ketchup are quite ideal to consider. They will not damage the parts of your faucet and will keep it shiny for days and weeks.
In case, if you are planning to change your bathroom faucet and couldn’t decide the right option, then you can visit KibiUSA that features an extensive range of bathroom faucets available in brass and different materials. You can choose colors and designs based on your needs and budget. our experts will help you choose the right faucet that also complements the overall style and interior of your bathroom.